Latest news with #WisconsinDepartmentofHealthServices
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Deadly virus spread by deer tick kills 1, hospitalizes 2, Wisconsin officials say
A deadly virus, transmitted through tick bites, killed one and hospitalized two others as of June, Wisconsin health officials said. Details about where and how the three individuals contracted Powassan virus in the state were not shared, however the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is recommending health care providers quickly test patients with symptoms of the 'rare' disease. 'POWV is rare, but there has been an increase in the number of cases reported in recent years,' officials said in a June 24 email to health care providers in the state. 'This increase could be from more people becoming infected with POWV, improvements in testing and diagnosis, or some combination of both.' Powassan virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged (deer) tick, officials said. The ticks contract the disease when they bite an infected animal, then pass it onto a human as they latch onto them. As of June 17, seven cases of the virus have been reported nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases were reported in Wisconsin, New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In 2024, 57 human cases were reported, the most since 2004, according to the CDC. Infection can present asymptomatically, according to the health department, or through a 'non-specific' illness or neurological disease. 'Initial symptoms commonly include fever, headache, vomiting, and generalized weakness. The disease can progress to encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, or aseptic meningitis,' officials said. The virus can later progress into seizures, speech problems or paralysis, among other symptoms. Deer ticks spread other diseases, including Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, health officials said. Experts with AccuWeather recommend long sleeves in areas where there may be ticks, such as woods or tall grass, and to check your body after spending time outdoors.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Three hospitalized in Wisconsin due to Powassan virus, one dead from disease
(WFRV) – As of June 2025, officials with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) have reported three cases of Powassan virus (POWV) disease that involved hospitalization, including one death. Wisconsin DHS officials noted that all three cases have been reported in adult Wisconsin residents. Farm employee in Manitowoc County killed after being trapped in debris caused by silo collapse The release comes at a potential increase in POWV cases after 12 were reported in Wisconsin during 2024. The 12 from last year was the record for Wisconsin, and was the second highest nationwide in 2024, only behind Minnesota with 14. POWV is a tickborne virus spread by the blacklegged (deer) tick, the same tick that spreads Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and several other diseases in Wisconsin. Officials say the infection can cause a mild febrile illness or neurologic disease that often presents as meningitis or encephalitis. Manitowoc PD seeks info on dog after man bitten at Trails End Trailer Park The Wisconsin DHS recommends that health care providers: Consider POWV disease in patients with unexplained neurologic disease with known or possible tick exposure one to five weeks before illness onset. Order the appropriate diagnostic testing for patients with suspected POWV disease. POWV IgM testing in serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or POWV IgM in serum or CSF and POWV RT-PCR in whole blood, serum, or CSF, which may be particularly helpful for immunocompromised patients. Ensure timely reporting of POWV infections to state or local public health authorities. Promote tick bite prevention measures among individuals who spend time working or recreating outdoors, especially in the northern half of Wisconsin. Local 5 will update this story as more information gets released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Epoch Times
10-06-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Wisconsin Breaks From CDC, Keeps COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendation for Pregnant Women
Wisconsin's health department is keeping in place its recommendation that pregnant women and all children receive one of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines, diverging from guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More people are visiting Wisconsin emergency departments for tick bites this year, data shows
More people are visiting the emergency department for tick bites this year in Wisconsin compared to last year at this time, according to new data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. According to the data, rates of tick bite-associated visits to emergency departments in Wisconsin are slightly up from last year at 79 visits for tick bites per 10,000 ED visits, according to data from May 26 to June 1. Ticks are usually active in Wisconsin from May to November, but the pests are starting to make their appearance earlier than previous years as Wisconsin experiences warmer winters, according to the DHS. "We've had several consecutive warm winters in Wisconsin, so this could be boosting tick populations again this year," wrote DHS spokesperson Elizabeth Goodsitt. "It's also possible that some of the increase in tick bite-related emergency department visits could be from other factors ... like better awareness of tick-related illnesses, their associated symptoms, and when to seek health care," she added. While ticks are active, Wisconsinites can contract Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks. Rates of Lyme disease have tripled in Wisconsin over the past 15 years, according to DHS. In 2023, Wisconsin had more than 6,000 cases of Lyme disease, the highest on record. About 4,000 cases were reported each year between 2018 and 2022. RELATED: Ticks are out in force across Wisconsin right now. Here's what to do after a tick bite You can scan the QR code in the photo above and fill out the survey to receive more information from the DHS. Health care providers should also report cases to the local health department. Make sure to complete your report within 72 hours of recognizing a case. For more information, you can visit the state DHS web page on disease reporting. Before heading outside, you can treat your clothing and gear with a chemical insecticide called permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remains on gear through several washings. You can also buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear. When you're outside, avoid wooded areas with high grass, and walk in the center of trails. After you come indoors, check your clothing for ticks. You can tumble dry your clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks. Additionally, dogs are especially susceptible to tick bites because they are more likely to run through wooded and grassy areas. Talk to your veterinarian about the best tick prevention products for your pet. Check your pets regularly for ticks, especially after they spend time outdoors. Be sure to look for ticks around the tail, ears and eyelids, and under the front legs, back legs and between the toes. If you find a tick remove it immediately. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks, which are small, and can often go unnoticed. Symptoms typically develop three to 30 days after being bitten by a tick. The symptoms include: Fever Chills Fatigue Muscle aches Joint pain Nausea Expanding rash, often in the shape of a bullseye This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rates of tick bites, Lyme disease up in 2025 in Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. House tax cut bill would check Medicaid qualifications every 6 months
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) website for enrolling in Medicaid and other state benefits programs. (Screenshot) Among changes to Medicaid tucked in the federal reconciliation bill that passed the U.S. House last week is one that requires participants in the state-federal health plan for the poor to prove they're eligible every six months. Wisconsin advocates said Tuesday the provision is likely to reduce Medicaid enrollment — not because people don't qualify but because of administrative errors and confusion. Under current state and federal law, people covered by Medicaid must have their eligibility confirmed every year. Eligibility depends on various factors, chief among them household income. People whose Medicaid services are tied to a disability undergo an annual evaluation to determine whether their disability still qualifies them. 'We already do a really good job about making sure that everybody who's in Medicaid is already eligible to be there,' Tamara Jackson, policy analyst and legislative liaison for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, said in an interview. Checking eligibility more frequently isn't likely to uncover more people who are enrolled in Medicaid and don't qualify, Jackson said: 'It will lead to a different result because people who are eligible for the program are losing coverage because they didn't get the paperwork in on time.' 'It's going to probably result in kicking people off the program — some of it through error and some of it just benign neglect,' said Bobby Peterson, executive director of ABC for Health. The nonprofit is a public interest law firm that assists people navigating the health care system get coverage and address problems such as medical debt. 'It's part of a blizzard of paperwork to keep people off the program,' Peterson said of the twice-yearly Medicaid eligibility test. 'And it's not necessarily going to be very effective in maintaining program integrity.' He said Medicaid participants are already required to report changes in their income that could change whether they're eligible. 'It's calculated to deter people from staying with the [Medicaid] program,' Peterson said. 'It'll leave more people out and less people covered, more people uninsured.'Asfederalfundingandsystemsdwindle,statesarelefttodecidehowandwhethertomakeupthedifference. With fewer people covered by health insurance, that could lead to 'higher rates of medical debt, higher rates of uncompensated care, and then the socialization and redistribution of all that medical debt onto everybody else's [health care] bill,' Peterson said. 'So, it's a lose-lose proposition.' The House Republican majority drafted the reconciliation legislation in order to extend tax cuts enacted in 2017 during President Donald Trump's first term. The bill's tax cuts largely benefit higher-income households, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The bill's spending cuts to Medicaid and other programs, including federal nutrition aid, were included to reduce the tax cuts' impact on the federal deficit. In Wisconsin, about 1.3 million people are covered by Medicaid, according to the state Department of Health Services (DHS). About 900,000 are enrolled in BadgerCare Plus, which provides primary health care for families and single adults with incomes below the federal poverty guidelines. Another 250,000 are in one of several Medicaid programs for long-term care for people with disabilities or the elderly, and the rest are in other specialized programs. The change in how often Medicaid recipients must qualify for the program is just one of many changes in the program under the House reconciliation bill. In a report produced in late April before the bill's passage, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) calculated that its proposed Medicaid changes could cost Wisconsin up to $16.8 billion over the next date. Current federal Medicaid regulations forbid states from determining a person's eligibility more often than once a year. The House reconciliation bill would effectively override that rule. A requirement to check every Medicaid recipient's eligibility twice a year was part of state legislation that Wisconsin Republican lawmakers introduced earlier this year. That bill was met with sweeping criticism at a public hearing in April and has not advanced in the state Legislature. Supporters of the change have argued that more should be done to reduce fraud in the Medicaid program. But health care experts contend that the Medicaid cuts in the House bill are unlikely to address genuine fraud. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government temporarily suspended the annual Medicaid renewal requirement to ensure that people had health coverage and would seek medical help if they felt sick. 'Obviously if there's a public health emergency, you want to maintain connections and access to health care and coverage,' Peterson said. Some people may have been still covered under Medicaid after they were no longer eligible, he added, and some 'didn't even know they had Medicaid or BadgerCare Plus in addition to some private insurance at various times.' Nevertheless, 'it wasn't like there was wide-scale fraud' in the Medicaid program, Peterson said. 'There's very little evidence of a lot of consumer-related fraud in the program.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
